CWA Stands With the Little Sisters of the Poor

PRESS RELEASE

Concerned Women for America Stands With the Little Sisters of the Poor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in support of the Little Sisters of the Poor and against the freedom-stifling provisions of the HHS Mandate under ObamaCare.

The brief highlights the great history of women’s dedication to religious freedom and charitable service. “The government’s actions in this case threaten to stifle that historical tradition of religious expression through charity,” the brief reads, “by imposing a substantial and unnecessary burden on [the Little Sisters of the Poor’s] ability to serve the needy.”

The brief asks the Court to treat all women equally:

Women are not a monolithic group of people placing similar values in all areas of life, including faith or reproductive rights. But they should all be treated equally and with respect and dignity. The government distorts the facts when it argues that it is acting on behalf of “women” by imposing this Mandate. [CWA] urges this Court to reject any urgency to simplify the values of women by taking the singular view of a few and imposing it by force of law on all. …

The choice the government presents between violating deeply held religious beliefs or facing crippling fines that would prevent the expression of religious faith through charitable services is no choice at all and presents a most basic violation of the free exercise of religion.

Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWA, said,

“We are proud to stand with the Little Sisters of the Poor today against the ridiculous insistence of the Obama Administration that the Little Sisters of the Poor must violate their religious beliefs in order to pay for Sandra Fluke’s birth control pills. We are confident the Court will see right through the government’s gross violation of our constitutional rights to the free exercise of religion.”

If you would like an interview with Penny Nance or a Concerned Women for America spokesperson, please contact Alison Howard at [email protected] or 202-266-4816.

Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization with 500,000 participating members across the country, over 450 Prayer/Action Chapters and Home Teams, 600 trained leaders and over 30 years of service to our nation.